iupengl101fandomcom-20200214-history
The Rhetorical Situation
'Your Rhetorical Situation in Writing ' ''Rhetorical Situations '' In college, you’ll receive multiple writing assignments of all different sorts. One thing that is key in all of them though, is to remember the idea of the rhetorical situation. Rhetorical situation is defined as: “the context of a rhetorical event that consists of an issue, an audience, and a set of constraints”. It’s important to think about your rhetorical situation early in the writing process. When an author is sure of their rhetorical situation, it’s quite easy to observe in pieces of writing. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s also easy to see in writings when authors neglect this important aspect. To ensure your writing covers your rhetorical situation in the way you want it to, you’ll need to consider the following in your work: Genre, stance, design, and tone, and medium are all extremely important parts in the writing that will be encountered in comp 101. ''Genre '' There are many types of writing genres that are encountered throughout the first English class of college that everyone takes. Some examples of genres include: informative, narrative, horror, comedy, romantic, and there are hundreds more. Sometimes the genre will be assigned to you, but if it’s not, oftentimes it can be easy to figure out by examining the assignment and rubric. If you get to select your own genre, you’ll want to consider your purpose (see purpose). The genre you select, whether an argument, analysis, informative, etc., should be the most effective to fulfill your purpose ''Stance '' The stance that you take in the writing will reflect your opinion as the author towards the topic. If you feel strongly for or against, objective, skeptical, etc., it will in turn help determine your tone (see tone). This is because stance also includes attitude, since there are feelings attached with opinions. Before you decide your stance, consider all aspects of the topic before jumping to conclusions, to ensure the opinion is presented that you agree with entirely. Doing research on the topic is important as well because it can reveal to you new information that may have previously not been known. This will help your writing to contain reliable information, which in turn allows readers to trust what they are reading and believe it. ''Design '' The design of the writing can help express the tone (see tone) you as an author want to get across to the audience. When examining the design aspect, it’s your job as the author to decide if the use of pictures, videos, or other visuals could help compliment your work, or if it is more effective to only use words. For example, a professional document with “bold headings” and a “clean font”, and perhaps a graph will help present a more official and serious tone. Whereas maybe a more, “smooth font” and the addition of some graphics could help emit a more laidback or humorous tone in the work presented. Another good visual that can be used is highlighting or using color font in the writing. The use of visuals can improve the appearance and help convey information in your work, as well as make it more memorable to those who are reading it. Also, consider the organization of the writing, i.e. should it go chronologically or would jumping back and forth between subjects be possible way to capture your audience’s attention. ''Tone '' Tone is the attitude you as the author project towards your topic. The attitude is shown through the words and details that are presented in the writing. As the author, it’s important that you present your audience with the tone that YOU want them to hear. Don’t be vague with your use of words and details, leaving your audience unsure of the tone. To get the tone across effectively, look for places to use colorful and bold adjectives that will describe points to the readers. The design can also help produce a certain tone in your work. The use of a visual can really help solidify whatever tone you are using. ''Medium '' Medium is the way in which your material reaches your audience. Examples include: print, spoken, and digital. When choosing a medium, it’s important to keep in mind that the choice of medium can influence your tone. For example, the tone given in your work could be taken differently if it was in a newspaper, compared to if it was online in a blog. If your work is being posted online, the use of pictures or videos could help support your piece. All of those who are effective writers, know how to analyze their rhetorical situation. In comp 101, it will be crucial for you to develop and use your rhetorical situation in your works. The use of it is vital to the writing process, and when used properly, you’ll find that your papers will have a better flow and structure to them. My professor always stressed the rhetorical situations and we were graded very heavily on it, and it’s likely you will be also in your comp 101. Using the rhetorical situation is critical to your success, so don’t forget it! ''References '' Lunsford, Andrea, Michal Brody, Lisa Ede, Beverly J. Moss, Carole Clark Papper, Keith Walters. Everyone’s an Author with Readings. New York: Norton, 2013.'' '' Wwnorton.com,. 'The Norton FIELD GUIDE To WRITING'. N.p., 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.